Disclaimer: What do you think?

Cragen

"I don't know what to do Tobe. I mean, whenever they look at me they glared and Liv has snapped at me more than once today. When she came out of Cragen's she looked like she had been crying. I just don't know what to think…"

Instead of going out to lunch, the two had picked up take out and were sitting on the couch in their living room. Elliot had his head in his hands and tears running down his cheeks. Toby put his arms around him and pulled him to rest against his chest.

"It'll be okay El. I know it. Just give them time to adjust and accept. They don't know this side of you, they haven't seen it and they don't want to believe that the man they have known for years has decided that he really isn't who they think he is."

"I…I just don't know if they are ever going to accept it, accept me. I feel like I have lied to them the entire time we have known each other. I just hope that they don't see it that way. I don't want to lose friends over this. I love you so much and I just want them to see that, and to see that this who I have always been."

"They will see that. They just need time. This is something huge to adjust to, but they will come around. I'll be here with you, I love you and one day they will see that and they will come to accept it. I know I have said that already, but I know that it is true."

Elliot looked up at Toby and nodded. He laid his head on Toby's shoulder and closed his eyes. Toby leaned his head down and placed his lips on Elliot's. Their kiss deepened and Elliot pushed Toby down onto the couch and settled himself on top of him. Elliot ran his hand down Toby's side and gently pulled his shirt from his pants. Elliot's hand immediately sought out the silky smoothness of Toby's skin. As Elliot was exploring the territory that was Toby's muscular abdomen, Toby's hands were not static. Toby had managed to unbutton most of Elliot's shirt and untie the tie that was hanging in the way. Toby's fingers were dancing over Elliot's pecks and playing with his nipples through the thin wife beater Elliot always wore.

As Elliot and Toby's make out session got even steamier, Elliot's phone started to ring. He groaned and gave Toby another kiss. Toby's mouth went to Elliot's neck and collar bone as Elliot answered the offending object.

"Stabler," he answered somewhat breathless.

"Elliot, you okay?"

"Yes sir," he replied to his boss as he sat up.

"Do you realize that you have been gone to lunch for almost two hours?"

Elliot looked at the clock, "Shit…sorry sir. No I didn't realize that, I'll be back in twenty."

"You better be. When you get here come straight to my office."

"Yes sir."

Elliot hung up the phone and looked at Toby, "Baby, as much as I would love to continue this right now, I have just been informed that I have been gone for almost two hours and as soon as I get back Cragen wants to see me in his office."

"Sorry. I guess you don't realize how much time goes by while you are entranced in the spell of the love of your life."

Elliot smiled, "Thanks baby, that made me feel better. I really have to go now."

Toby stood up and helped Elliot off the couch, they helped each other to straighten their clothes and started walking toward the door. Elliot grabbed his suit jacket off the back of one of the kitchen chairs and turned to face Toby.

He leaned in and gave him one last kiss, "I love you. I'll see you later."

"I love you too, be careful."

"I will."

Elliot walked out of the apartment and down to his car.

Toby shut the door to the apartment and shook his head. He couldn't figure out how Elliot's so called friends could treat him with such disdain. He walked to the kitchen, grabbed his own jacket and walked out the door to finish his own workday.

Elliot arrived to the precinct about ten minutes later. As he entered the bullpen, Munch, Fin and Olivia were all glaring at him and the door to Cragen's office was open waiting for him to make his entrance. He crossed the bullpen without looking at anyone and knocked on the frame of his boss' office door. When he was told to, Elliot walked into the office, shut the door and sat down in front of Cragen's desk.

Elliot was the first to speak, he had been worried about Liv all day, "Sir, do you know if Liv is alright? I asked her, but she wouldn't answer me and she looked like she had been crying. Do you know anything?"

"Yes Elliot, I know what is wrong with Olivia, but I don't think she wants you to know. Although, I will tell you that you are the root cause. That is the main reason I wanted to talk to you."

Elliot furrowed his brow, 'What did I do to make Liv cry? I don't remember doing anything wrong,' he thought. "Okay, what do you need?"

"Well, I want you to try and keep your personal life out of the office."

"What? I don't think I have talked about my personal life in forever."

"I just want you to think about how what you do outside of these walls stills affects those inside them."

"I'm sorry sir, but I am not understanding what you are asking of me."

"Elliot, I'm going to be blunt. Olivia came in here this morning and was quite upset. She said that she came to your home yesterday night and found out something that was quite surprising. What I need from you is for you to keep it out of work. And I kn-"

"Excuse me…but I'm sorry that what she found out surprised and even upset her, but I don't think it is right for you to tell me that I need to keep it out of work when I haven't brought it into work at all. He may have come to pick me up for lunch, but nothing inappropriate happened in the stationhouse. I would never do that, and I would think that you would know that by now. And as for being late coming back from lunch, I am sorry, but that is the first time it has happened. I'll tell you the truth, I was at home with Toby worrying myself to death about how yall were going to take this. I was literally on the verge of sickness because I didn't know what to expect from you guys. When I got here this morning you were all in this office, and when yall finished your little meeting, I wasn't spoken to by anyone. So, I am sorry that yall are upset about this, but I will not adjust my behavior because I upset a few people," Elliot lectured. When he was finished, he got up, opened the door, grabbed his coat and left the stationhouse without so much as a word to anyone.

Olivia looked up when she heard the door to Cragen's office slam open. She saw Elliot grab his coat and storm out of the bullpen. She got up to follow him to see what was wrong when Cragen's voice caught her attention, "Olivia, sit and finish your paperwork. Don't worry about him."

She furrowed her brow and looked at the captain, "What happened? He was fine earlier and he just got back."

"I said, don't worry about it and get back to work!" Cragen turned his back and walked back into his office.

"Tobias Beecher"

"Hey Toby"

"Elliot? What's wrong? And don't deny it, I can hear it in your voice."

"I…I just walked out on my boss."

"What happened?"

"I…I don't really want to talk about it over the phone. Can you come home soon?"

"Yeah, sure. Let me finish writing up this report and I'll come. I shouldn't be more than an hour. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine." Elliot paused, "Will you bring pizza or something?" he asked sheepishly.

Toby grinned, "Sure. I'll see ya soon. I love you."

"I love you too."

"Bye"

"Bye, baby."

Elliot needed to calm down a bit before he got home. He had been in such a rush to leave that he didn't pick up his car keys. He had his house keys, so he didn't need to go to Toby's office. To blow off some steam he decided to walk the twenty blocks. When he arrived at the apartment building he saw Toby waiting for him on the stoop. He looked at his watch and realized that he had walked the twenty blocks in forty-five minutes.

"What took you so long? Where is your car?" Toby asked him.

Elliot sat down next to him, "I walked. I left so fast that I didn't pick up my car keys and I didn't want to go back in and get them. I thought that walking would help me to not be as angry when I finally got here."

Toby slipped his arm around Elliot's back, "You want to tell me what happened?"

Elliot glanced at him through the corner of his eye, "I don't really know what happened. I walked into the stationhouse and into the bullpen. Everyone…well, not everyone, but Munch, Fin and Olivia were glaring at me. I went right to Cragen's office and the next thing I know, I am walking out of there and calling you."

"Do you remember anything he said? Do you know why he wanted to talk to you?"

"Kinda…I know that the first thing I asked about was Liv. She looked like she had been crying and he told me that I was the root cause of it. What did I do? I don't think I did anything to her Toby."

"I know, I know," Toby said as he rubbed Elliot's back, "Keep going, what else do you remember?"

"He told me…he told me to keep my personal life out of the office. He said that what I do outside the office still affects the people inside. I tried to tell him that I haven't talked about my personal life since the divorce was finalized."

Toby nodded, but kept silent so Elliot would keep talking.

"He said that Olivia came in and was upset because she came by here and I quote, 'found out something that was quite surprising.' He never came out and said it, but I know he was talking about us. Then he said again to keep it off the job. That is when I told him that I have never had my personal life in the office and said that the closest I came to that was you coming to get me for lunch. That doesn't count, I mean people come and get other people for lunch all the time, I don't see why this is different. But…but then I thought maybe he was talking about coming back late, and I told him what was going on, that I was here trying to figure out how all this happened and how they were going to take it. After I got done, I didn't give him time to respond. I got up, slammed open the door and walked out."

"Wow, I don't know what to say. I am sorry that they are taking this in a way that isn't how you expected. If you want me to leave, I will. I me-"

"No! I don't want you to go anywhere. I love you and I want you to be here with me. I just didn't think that them finding out was going to be this hard. I mean the kids and Kathy didn't even take it like this. They understood, how come my friends can't?"

"I don't know baby, I don't know." Toby squeezed Elliot shoulders and got up from where he was sitting, "C'mon, pizza is upstairs. We can eat and watch a movie or something. You just need to clear your mind and not think about everything for a while."

Elliot smiled up at him, "Yeah, good idea."

The two walked into the building and up to their apartment. They settled on the couch with the pizza. Elliot sat on the end with a beer and Toby was leaning into his side with a soda. They put on the movie and settled in for a night of relaxation and mind numbing Hollywood action thrillers.